The scanner, still a prototype, uses a digital camera coupled with an on-board laser to calculate the distance between the object and scanner, cross-referencing readings with targets that are placed around the scene to tell it where it is in the room. It’s apparently something like Vexcel’s D-Cam, used by Microsoft’s Virtual Earth to create digital image overlays. Simple 3D lists other 3D scanners often used in product design and the movie industry.

The scan can be rendered on a computer while it is under way, letting the user decide whether to go into greater detail, or redo parts of it.

The end result is a 3D computer image, true to colour and texture, that can be rotated or used to create “fly-throughs” of a room.

The scan of the mannequin (right) consists of more than one million geospatial data points mapped to digital photos.

It took about two minutes to produce. Other 3D scanners are either built for imaging small models or are fixed in place, meaning they must be repositioned several times to scan large objects. The Scene-scanner will be the first that can be moved freely around an object or room to get into nooks and crannies, Industrial Research says.

The goal is to sell the scanner internationally, but it is still two years away from market. The prototype needs to be wired to the computer that renders the 3D image, but the finished product will be wireless.

Meanwhile, motion tracking is now thoughly embedded in movie and commercial production with 3D models (mostly) impossible to distinguish from reality.